


Who Can Take the Shot?

by Corbella0417



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, I'm sorry..., Lots of Angst, M/M, angel!cas - Freeform, croats, hunter!dean, possible death of feels with this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 04:07:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3555455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corbella0417/pseuds/Corbella0417
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a case goes horribly wrong Dean tries to hide it. At least until he can't anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if your feels are damaged by this. 
> 
> I have no Beta so any mistakes are my own.

Dean collapsed next to Cas with a soft laugh as they both came down. They were sweaty and tired but it was a wonderful feeling. 

"God I love doing this with you," Dean said breathlessly as he looked at Cas with glazed eyes. 

"I completely agree," Cas said, pulling himself against Dean's sweaty chest. 

They just started to doze when Sam banged on the bunker door. "Hey guys! We've got a problem, get upstairs!" 

"Dammit," Dean groaned as Cas buried his face in his neck. 

Cas kissed his throat before sitting up. "We should go." 

They dressed together and with another kiss headed upstairs to the others. 

Bobby was at his desk and looking over a map, concern on his face as he and Sam talked quietly. 

"What's up?" Dean asked as they walked in. "Demons again?" 

"Worse....Croats." 

Dean looked at Bobby and cussed. He hated Croats. "Where?" 

"St. Louis.... Just got a call from a friend of mine. He said they've got crazies, red eyes, trying to eat people. They've lost three people there already." 

"Dammit. Well, let's get going." 

With the four of them packing they hit the road quickly. Dean, sadly, leaving the impala behind while Bobby drove them in his van. The trip took a few hours and by the time they got there it was already getting dark. They set up at a motel and spent the night coming up with a plan. They all agreed it was better to do this during the day than when it was dark. 

Dean and Cas slept together, curled around each other in the bed for warmth. Dean knew Cas wasn't worried, one touch and he could burn them out, but Dean wasn't feeling too good about this one. He'd had a bad feeling ever since they left Bobby's. 

The next morning they got started. Bobby called his friend and told him to stay put with the others that were there. They'd call if they needed help. 

The Croats had taken over a small part of the city but thanks to the hunters they'd been kept mostly clear of the people. 

"Ok...Sam and Dean, you two take this side. Cas, you come with me and we'll clear out the other. Everyone good with that?" 

"Yes," the others said together. 

As Cas started to follow Bobby he felt Dean grip his arm. "Are you alright Dean?" He didn't like the look on the hunter's face. 

"Yeah I'm fine. Just be careful ok?" 

Cas nodded and pulled him in for a kiss. "Of course. I'll see you soon." 

Dean watched Cas go with a twinge of fear. This didn't feel right. 

He pushed the thought away and followed Sam down the alley. The place was bare except for a few pieces of trash littered around here and there. 

"You ok Dean?" Sam asked quietly. 

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" 

Sam shrugged as he peered around another corner. "You just don't seem yourself lately." 

Dean glanced at his brother, debating whether to share his thoughts. "I'm just worried about this. It feels off." 

"Off how?" 

"I don't know....I just have a bad feeling." 

As they rounded another corner Dean grabbed Sam and yanked him back, pinning him to the wall. 

"What the hell Dean?" 

Dean covered his mouth and placed a finger to his lips to quiet him. "Croats," he mouthed. 

Once freed Sam peeked around the corner to look. Three Croats were busy eating on something Sam really didn't want to think about. He pulled back and lifted his gun, taking off the safety. "You ready?" 

Dean nodded and stepped out. They crept up quietly behind them and took their shots, all three going down with a thud. 

"Nice," Dean said with a grin. 

"Uh Dean..." 

Dean turned to see Sam looking behind them and he froze. "There's more right?" 

"Yep" 

"How many?" 

"A lot." 

Dean sighed, "Great." 

Turning around he saw a small group coming toward them, their red eyes locked on them. He counted ten total. The Croats started running, mouths open in silent snarls. Dean shot first, taking out two quickly while Sam dropped another two. But the group was gaining speed and they needed distance. 

"Run?" Dean asked as he backed up. 

"Yeah." 

They bolted as the group followed, trying to keep enough distance between them. Dean looked back, firing a shot at the closest Croat. He missed, hitting the one behind it in the shoulder. 

"You have to aim for the head!" Sam yelled. 

"I know!" 

Speeding up they raced inside a building and shut the door, leaning down in the shadows to hide as the Croats ran past. 

"Damn these things are fast," Dean panted. 

Sam looked out the window. "I think I found a way to take them out back the way we came. Do you think you can distract them until I get there?" 

Dean groaned but nodded. "Just hurry." 

Sam took off and Dean followed the path the Croats took, giving him some time before he started. "Hey flea bags! Come and get me!" 

Two Croats rounded the corner ahead of him and he took a step back. "Come on!" 

Dean ran towards Sam with the Croats hot on his heel. He could hear their growls behind him. As he ran past a building the window next to him burst open with two more Croats, he had to dodge just to keep them off. These guys were even faster. He pushed harder, wincing as a pain shot through his knee. He was almost back to Sam. 

Suddenly he was yanked back with a yell, crying out as teeth sank deep into his shoulder. He raised his gun, shooting the man in the head. Another came at him and dropped quickly. He tried to run but the others were on him too fast, knocking his gun from his hand. They fell on top of him but he used his forearms to keep them off. His shoulder started to burn with the effort and the Croat was getting closer. 

Just as he thought he was done a shot rang out, then another. Both Croats dropped on him, covering him in blood. Sam stood there with fear in his eyes. 

"Good timing," Dean said with a grunt as he pushed the bodies off. 

"I got worried when you didn't show and then I heard your shot. You ok? Are you hurt?" 

Dean brushed himself off and shook his head. "I'm good, let's just finish this." He followed behind Sam and fixed his jacket, thankful the blood from the Croat covered his. 

They killed a few more before meeting up with Bobby and Cas. 

"You idjits good?" Bobby asked as they walked up. 

"We're good," Sam called back. "Dean had a close call but otherwise it was fine." 

Cas looked at Dean with worry and rushed to him, pulling him into a hug. "Are you alright Dean?" He tried to lift Dean's shirt to check him over but Dean grabbed his arms. 

"I'm fine Cas," he said with a laugh. "I just struggled with a couple but it was fine, Sam helped me out." 

"But you're not hurt?" 

Dean pulled Cas close and kissed his forehead. "I'm fine...I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean was happy to be back at Bobby's. The van had been cramped, his clothes stunk and his shoulder was throbbing painfully. All he wanted was a shower and to sleep. And maybe it was just his imagination but he was already starting to feel a little off.

He grabbed his bag and headed in with the others, dropping it on the floor by the desk. 

"I'm gonna take a shower," he mumbled as he walked off. 

Cas followed, grabbing his hand with a smile. "I'll go with you. Help clean you off..." 

Dean saw Cas give him a small wink and he stopped, gripping Cas' hand to stop him as well. He can't let Cas see the bite. 

"Actually...how about you and Sam go get us some burgers. Bobby doesn't really have much here and I'm dying for one." 

Cas looked a little sad at the dismissal and Dean felt bad. "It's just because I'm so dirty. I'm covered in blood and crap and I just really don't want you to see me like that." 

Cas still looked a little sad but nodded. "I understand....maybe later?" 

Dean smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek. "You got it." 

With Sam and Cas gone and Bobby back in his room Dean headed to the bathroom. He groaned when he saw his clothes. A little bit of blood was one thing but this would be impossible to clean up. 

Tossing it and his shirt to the floor he finally got a look at the bite. The teeth marks went deep and Dean noticed the puncture wounds were slightly black. The skin around it was red and very tender. At least it wasn't bleeding anymore. 

He finished undressing and turned on the water. Looking at his arm he touched Cas' mark, feeling the raised skin under his fingertips. He had to admit to he was a little scared right now. 

The water was hot and within a few minutes he was clean, the smell of his soap covering up the scent of blood. Using the first aid kit he knew Bobby kept under the sink he patched up the wound, trying to keep the bandage from showing too much. 

Sam and Cas came back later and they hung out, watching TV on Bobby's small screen. He tried to keep himself focused but every time his shoulder got a stab of pain it yanked him back to the dark thoughts. He needed help before this got too far. 

"I'm going out," Dean called as he grabbed his keys and another jacket. 

"Where are you going?" Sam asked. 

"Out," he said gruffly. Dean knew he sounded like a jerk but he couldn't help it. He needed to fix this. 

Dean drove to the woods a few miles from Bobby's and pulled out his supplies. He summoned Gabriel, hoping the Angel would show up. 

Dean waited for what felt like hours until he was sure Gabriel wasn't gonna show. As he turned to go back to the car he heard wings. 

"You know, I'm used to being summoned by gigantor, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of being summoned by you. What do you want?"

"I need your help," Dean said with annoyance clear in his voice. 

Gabriel looked at him with a fake shocked look and leaned forward, placing a hand behind his ear. "Say that again? Did I hear the words 'I need your help' come out of THE Dean Winchester's mouth?" 

"Quit dicking around dammit! This isn't a joke." 

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes before stepping closer. "Fine fine. What do you want?" 

"I need you to heal me." 

"Heal you? Isn't that what my little brother is there for?" 

Dean glanced at him but looked away. 

"Unless you're hiding this little injury from him.... What did you do? Because if you hurt my brother I swear--" 

"I didn't hurt him Gabriel...it was a Croat. We had a case and I got bit." 

"And you didn't tell them why?" 

Dean rolled his eyes. "If I told them it would have sent them into a panic. Sam would have made me go back to the van but we still had some Croats to kill. They would have tried to stop me from hunting even after I was better. I couldn't let them do that."

"So you came to me?" He said with a sigh. "Well alright then...show me the bite." 

Dean took off his jacket and shirt and pulled off the bandage. Gabriel made a face at the wound but got closer. "Really got you good huh?" 

Dean nodded, "Any deeper and I would be missing a chunk." 

Gabriel laughed and touched his arm. Dean closed his eyes as Gabriel's Grace started glowing but frowned when he didn't feel any different. He looked up at the Angel to see him frowning as well. "What? It didn't work?" 

Gabriel tried again but Dean still had the bite. "This isn't right...." Gabriel said, touching the wound and making it bleed again. 

"Ow dammit! Gabriel, what the hell is going on?" 

Gabriel stepped back, rolling the blood from Dean's wound on his fingertips. "I don't know. Stay here." 

With a flutter of wings he was gone, leaving Dean by the car with a sickening feeling.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean got dressed and sat on the hood of the car. His heart was racing so hard he was sure it could be heard outside his body. 

What the hell was going on? Gabriel was an Arch Angel, if anybody could heal him it was Gabe. 

He flipped open his phone and looked at the background. He remembered taking the photo. Cas was sleeping next to him, soft and warm as he pressed against Dean's side. Dean had closed his eyes and pressed their foreheads together. It was one of his favorite pictures of them. 

The sound of wings made him jump and Gabe was suddenly next to him. The look on his face didn't give him a very good feeling. 

"No good news then?" 

Gabriel looked at him and for once Dean didn't see a playful look in his eye. "I'm sorry Dean." 

Dean stared at the ground, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep control of his emotions. "Why?" 

"It's the bite. I checked around up top, something about the bite makes it unhealable. We've never dealt with it until now so we didn't know." 

Dean laughed as tears stung his eyes. He didn't expect to go out like this. 

"How long do you have?" Gabriel asked quietly. 

Dean ran a hand through his hair, gripping the back of his neck hard. "A couple days, maybe less. The turn happens fast we know that." 

"Can I help?" 

"No. I'll deal with it." He walked around and opened the door. "Gabe...will you watch out for them? All of them? It was my job to protect Sam but now.... I know you care about him as much as I do." 

Gabriel looked at him sadly and gave him a small nod. "I will. I promise." 

By the time Dean got back it was dark. He paused on the porch and looked through the window. Sam and Bobby were watching TV on the couch while Cas read a book at the desk. They looked happy, he wished they could always look like that. 

With a deep breath he walked in, smiling at the others like everything was still fine. 

"Hey, feel better?" 

Dean stopped and looked at his brother. "What do you mean?" 

"Well you seemed a little aggravated when you left." 

"Oh...yeah sorry about that. I just needed some air. Today was a bit rough." 

Cas got up and hugged him, pressing his warm body against Dean's. "I'm glad you're okay Dean. I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt." 

Dean froze but then hugged him tighter. He was glad Cas couldn't see his face. "Me too Cas." 

Over the next few hours he started to feel worse. His shoulder was at a constant high level of pain and every beat of his heart made his head pound. "Hey Cas, I'm going to bed. Wanna join me?" 

Cas stood and took his hand. "Absolutely!" 

As Cas got the bed ready and changed into his pajamas Dean looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was paler than normal but with the lights dimmed it wasn't noticeable. 

His head swam and he gripped the sink to steady himself. "Just hold on a little longer," he whispered to himself. 

He was hoping for more time. At least another day. But he couldn't stay, the turn was happening too fast. He'd wait until Cas and the others were asleep before leaving. If he had to end it he wouldn't do it where they would see him. 

"Dean are you ready?" Cas asked through the door. 

"Yeah...on my way." With another look at the mirror he flicked off the light and crawled into bed. 

Laying on his back he felt Cas crawl over and curl up against his side, his face in the crook of Dean's neck. "Hey Cas," he whispered into the dark. 

"Hmm?" 

"You know I love you...right?" 

"Yes" 

"And you love me?" 

Cas tilted his head and kissed Dean's throat softly. "Very much." 

"Good." 

Dean felt a tear run down his face as Cas' breathing evened out. He kissed the top of his head lightly, smelling the scent he loved so much. His eyes closed and within a few minutes he fell asleep. 

Dean woke up hours later with pain racking his body. His heart was beating wildly and his head was ready to explode. 

He sat up with a groan and stumbled to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. Flipping on the light he saw he was even paler than before. His eyes were changing, still green but the whites were already beginning to turn red. He jumped back at the sight and fell, crying out when his shoulder hit the tub. 

 

Cas heard him and woke up. "Dean? Are you alright?" 

Dean tried to stand but stumbled back again. His head was spinning so fast he couldn't see straight. "I'm fine Cas...just go back to bed." 

He should have had more time. 

"Dean I know you're not fine so open the door!" 

He should have left earlier. 

"Please Cas...go back to bed." 

"No! Open the door or I break it!" 

Dean just curled up against the tub. He couldn't hide this now. He heard a crack and the door broke apart, splinters of wood flying around the room. 

"Dean?" Cas stepped in and grabbed him, panic on his face when he saw the way Dean looked. "Sam! Bobby!" 

His vision started to fade and he felt Cas grab his face, his voice muffled as he called Dean's name.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean woke up in Bobby's bunker, his body strapped down to the bed. He pulled on the restraints but they wouldn't budge. Good...at least he couldn't get up to hurt anyone. 

A noise to his left made him look over. He could make out a shape in the shadows, two glowing orbs shining in the dark. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cas asked as he stepped out. "Why didn't you let me help you?" 

Dean could see Cas' eyes were red and he could hear the cracking in his tone. Dean shook his head, swallowing painfully as he tried to speak. "You...couldn't have. Gabe--" 

"Gabriel!? You told my brother but not me? Not even your own? How could you do that to us?" 

Dean tried to answer but Cas was furious, cutting him off before he could get a word out. When a chair broke to pieces against the wall Dean closed his eyes, he was so tired. 

"Cas please...." 

The Angel stopped at his weak tone and fell to his knees by the bed. "Why Dean?" 

"I...I didn't want to scare you," he whispered. It hurt so much to talk. "I knew you'd worry about me, try to keep me here. I couldn't let you..." 

"So you went to Gabe. Why didn't he heal you?" 

"He tried...twice. It didn't work." 

"It didn't... He's an Arch Angel, it should have worked." Cas tried to think of what could stop them from healing him. 

"It's the bite Cas. They didn't know." 

Cas clenched his jaw as he looked into Dean's tired eyes. "Were you going to tell me?" 

"No." Dean couldn't stand to see the hurt that appeared in his Angel's eyes. 

"So what? You were just going to leave us? Kill yourself and never tell us why?" 

Dean didn't answer but he didn't have to. Cas could see it. "Dammit Dean!" 

He spun and hit the wall, denting the metal with his fist until his knuckles bled. Dean let him scream at him, taking every word in because this was his last chance. Then Cas left, disappearing with the sound of wings. 

Dean passed out again and woke up to see Sam sitting next to him. "Sammy..." 

Sam turned and Dean saw he'd been crying. "This was my fault wasn't it? I told you to distract them. I told you to--" 

"Sam...this wasn't your fault. We're hunters, this is what happens. You didn't do this Sammy." 

"And Cas can't heal you?" 

Dean shook his but stopped when it made him hurt. "The bite can't be healed. I'm sorry Sam... I let you down." 

"Dammit Dean, no you didn't." Sam leaned down and hugged him as he started to cry. 

Normally Dean would make fun of him for it but this time he couldn't. This time he cried along with him. 

When they were calmer Dean looked around. There was someone missing. "Where's Bobby?" 

"Getting drunk. He came down earlier when you were asleep, it tore him apart." 

Dean was sad to not see him but he understood. 

Suddenly a wave of pain shot through him, his back arching a little off the bed as he cried out. Sam backed up but stayed close, his eyes wide as he watched. Dean saw red and felt a rush of anger run through him. He heard Sam call Cas, felt the rush of wind from wings and then strong hands trying to keep him still. His body was seizing and he thought any minute his heart would burst in his chest. 

Then it stopped. 

He heard Cas talking to him, running a hand through his hair as his brother held his hand. He heard Cas say "I love you," and with a smile he was gone. 

Cas and Sam stayed next to him even after he was gone. Cas held Dean's gun in his hands. It felt so heavy to him in this moment. He knew what he had to do, he just couldn't seem to do it. 

Sam put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, taking the gun without a word. He stared at his brother's face and started to cry. He raised the gun to his temple as Dean started to wake up. Sam stepped back, not in fear, he just couldn't do this. 

They turned at the sound of wings and saw Gabriel in the doorway. He wasn't smiling because he already knew. Cas was angry at his brother but it melted away when he was hugged. 

Gabriel grabbed them both and returned them to Bobby's living room before disappearing again. He showed up next to Dean, touching him once to knock him out. The others saw the glow of Gabe's Grace as he put Dean down. 

"I healed his body," Gabe told them when he appeared. "He looks better now." 

Cas walked to the doorway and headed back down to see him. He couldn't leave him. 

Sam was on the couch so Gabe sat next to him, pulling him against his chest as he broke down. 

He'd keep his promise to Dean. He'd watch over them.


End file.
